"the European Union resulted in the French government promising to enforce the EU directive protecting the ortolan. After several years of active citizen watch revealing little if any change in the field situation, the local representative of the government repeated this statement in 2016. European Union member states prohibit: Ortolan bunting The ortolan (""Emberiza hortulana"") or ortolan bunting, is a bird in the bunting family Emberizidae, a passerine family now separated by most modern scholars from the finches, Fringillidae. The genus name ""Emberiza"" is from Old High German , a bunting. The specific ""hortulana"" is from the Italian name for"
"Otarocyon Otarocyon (""large eared dog"") is an extinct genus of the family Borophaginae (""bone-crushing dog""). It was a terrestrial canine which was small in size endemic to North America during the Orellan and Geringian stages of the Oligocene epoch, about 33.3—20.6 Ma (million years ago). ""Otarocyon"" was a small borophagine characterized by a short, broad skull, a specialized middle ear, simple, tall premolar teeth, and molars that are incipiently adapted to a hypocarnivore diet. Despite its Oligocene age, the skull of ""Otarocyon"" shows several striking similarities to the living fennec fox (""Vulpes zerda""), particularly in the structure of its middle"
"Marrus orthocanna Marrus orthocanna is a species of pelagic siphonophore, a colonial animal composed of a complex arrangement of zooids, some of which are polyps and some medusae. It lives in the Arctic and other cold, deep waters, swimming independently in mid-ocean. Like other siphonophores, ""Marrus orthocanna"" is a colony composed of a number of specialised zooids linked together by a long stem. At the front is the pneumatophore, an orange-coloured, gas-filled float. Behind this is the nectosome, a region where there are a number of translucent nectophores with red, unlooped radial canals. These are bell-shaped medusae specialised for locomotion."
"Lutrine opossum The lutrine opossum (""Lutreolina crassicaudata""), also known as the little water opossum, thick-tailed opossum, or coligrueso is an opossum species from South America and is monotypic in the genus ""Lutreolina"". The lutrine opossum (""lutrine"" means ""otter-like"" and ""crass"" meaning ""thick, fat"" and ""cauda"" meaning ""tail"") is a very peculiar opossum, having a long weasel-like body, short legs, small rounded ears, and dense reddish or yellowish fur. Nocturnal and crepuscular, they generally live in grasslands and savannas near water. They are terrestrial but are excellent swimmers and climbers. Genetic and morphological studies indicate that there is a second species,"
"Orthrozanclus Orthrozanclus reburrus (""Dawn scythe with bristling hair"") is a sea creature known from the Middle Cambrian (~) Burgess shale, about one centimeter long, with long spikes protruding from its armored body The describers of this fossil animal, Simon Conway Morris and Jean-Bernard Caron, say ""Orthrozanclus"" may have formed a link between the halkieriid and the wiwaxiid families, uniting them tentatively in a group called ""Halwaxiida"", characterized by a similar type of body armor; these organisms might have been stem group molluscs, or fall as a stem group to the larger lophotrochozoan clade (containing molluscs, annelids and brachiopods). However, the"
"Trogon The trogons and quetzals are birds in the order Trogoniformes which contains only one family, the Trogonidae. The family contains 39 species in seven genera. The fossil record of the trogons dates back 49 million years to the Early Eocene. They might constitute a member of the basal radiation of the order Coraciiformes or be closely related to mousebirds and owls. The word ""trogon"" is Greek for ""nibbling"" and refers to the fact that these birds gnaw holes in trees to make their nests. Trogons are residents of tropical forests worldwide. The greatest diversity is in the Neotropics, where"
"Orthalicoidea The Orthalicoidea are a superfamily of air-breathing land snails, terrestrial gastropod mollusks in the informal group Sigmurethra. The Orthalicoidea is a dominant faunal element in the Neotropics, but also has a number of genera with a Gondwanan distribution. This taxonomy, as accepted by Bouchet & Rocroi, was based on the study by Nordsieck, published in 1986, and the classification as formulated by Schileyko in 1999. However Bouchet & Rocroi diverged from this classification in uniting the families Bulimulidae and Orthalacidae. They also considered the family Placostylidae as a distinct family from Orthalicidae, and the family Coelociontidae a distinct family"
"on land to prevent their fur becoming waterlogged. Sea otters are considerably more aquatic and live in the ocean for most of their lives. Otters are playful animals and appear to engage in various behaviors for sheer enjoyment, such as making waterslides and then sliding on them into the water. They may also find and play with small stones. Different species vary in their social structure, with some being largely solitary, while others live in groups – in a few species these groups may be fairly large. Genus ""Lutra "" Genus ""Hydrictis"" Genus ""Lutrogale"" Genus ""Lontra"" Genus ""Pteronura"" Genus ""Amblonyx"""
"Orthoptera Orthoptera is an order of insects that comprises the grasshoppers, locusts and crickets, including closely related insects such as the katydids and wetas. The order is subdivided into two suborders: Caelifera – grasshoppers, locusts and close relatives; and Ensifera – crickets and close relatives. More than 20,000 species are distributed worldwide. The insects in the order have incomplete metamorphosis, and produce sound (known as a ""stridulation"") by rubbing their wings against each other or their legs, the wings or legs containing rows of corrugated bumps. The tympanum or ear is located in the front tibia in crickets, mole crickets,"
"of the tribe Antilopini on the basis of nuclear and mitochondrial data in 2013, Eva Verena Bärmann (of the University of Cambridge) and colleagues showed that the oribi is the sister taxon to all other antilopines. The cladogram below is based on the 2013 study. The following eight subspecies are identified: Of these, zoologists Colin Groves and Peter Grubb identify ""O. o. hastata"", ""O. o. montana"", ""O. o. ourebi"" and ""O. o. quadriscopa"" as independent species in their 2011 publication ""Ungulate Taxonomy"". The oribi is a small, slender antelope; it reaches nearly at the shoulder and weighs . The head-and-body"
"Orthocone An orthocone is an unusually long straight shell of a nautiloid cephalopod. During the 18th and 19th centuries, all shells of this type were named ""Orthoceras"", creating a wastebasket taxon, but it is now known that many groups of nautiloids developed or retained this type of shell. An orthocone can be thought of as like a ""Nautilus"", but with the shell straight and uncoiled. It was previously believed that these represented the most primitive form of nautiloid, but it is now known that the earliest nautiloids had shells that were slightly curved. An orthoconic form evolved several times among"
"Catoblepas The catoblepas (pl. catoblepones; from the Greek καταβλέπω, (katablépō) ""to look downwards"") is a legendary creature from Ethiopia, first described by Pliny the Elder and later by Claudius Aelianus. It is said to have the body of a cape buffalo. Its head is always pointing downwards due to its head being heavy. Its stare or breath could either turn people into stone, or kill them. The catoblepas is often thought to be based on real-life encounters with wildebeest, such that some dictionaries say that the word is synonymous with ""gnu"". Also known as an African version of a Gorgon."
"Otter Otters are carnivorous mammals in the subfamily Lutrinae. The 13 extant otter species are all semiaquatic, aquatic or marine, with diets based on fish and invertebrates. Lutrinae is a branch of the weasel family Mustelidae, which also includes badgers, honey badgers, martens, minks, polecats, and wolverines. The word ""otter"" derives from the Old English word ""otor"" or ""oter"". This, and cognate words in other Indo-European languages, ultimately stem from the Proto-Indo-European language root *wódr̥, which also gave rise to the English word ""water"". An otter's den is called a holt or couch. Male otters are called dogs or boars,"
"the yellowhammer. Ortolan nests are placed on or near the ground. Seeds are the natural diet, but beetles and other insects are taken when feeding their young. A native of most European countries and western Asia. It reaches as far north as Scandinavia and beyond the Arctic Circle, frequenting cornfields and their neighbourhoods. It is an uncommon vagrant in spring, and particularly autumn, to the British Isles. The Ortolan Bunting's population as of 2018 is listed by the IUCN as Least Concern (LC). It was recently spotted at Kenjar Coastal Karnataka, India in November 2018 and photographed by Birdwatchers. Some"
"Opalinidae The opalines are a small group of peculiar heterokonts, currently assigned to the family Opalinidae, in the order Slopalinida. Their name is derived from the opalescent appearance of these microscopic organisms when illuminated with full sunlight. Most opalines live as endocommensals in the large intestine and cloaca of anurans (frogs and toads), though they are sometimes found in fish, reptiles, molluscs and insects. The unusual features of the opalines, first observed by Antoine van Leeuwenhoek in 1683, has led to much debate regarding their phylogenetic position among the protists. The relationship between opalines and other protists has been a"
"Arthropod An arthropod (, from Greek ""arthron"", ""joint"" and ""pous"", ""foot"") is an invertebrate animal having an exoskeleton (external skeleton), a segmented body, and paired jointed appendages. Arthropods form the phylum Euarthropoda, which includes insects, arachnids, myriapods, and crustaceans. The term Arthropoda as originally proposed refers to a proposed grouping of Euarthropods and the phylum Onychophora. Arthropods are characterized by their jointed limbs and cuticle made of chitin, often mineralised with calcium carbonate. The arthropod body plan consists of segments, each with a pair of appendages. The rigid cuticle inhibits growth, so arthropods replace it periodically by moulting. Arthopods are"
"Exoskeleton An exoskeleton (from Greek έξω, ""éxō"" ""outer"" and σκελετός, ""skeletós"" ""skeleton"") is the external skeleton that supports and protects an animal's body, in contrast to the internal skeleton (endoskeleton) of, for example, a human. In usage, some of the larger kinds of exoskeletons are known as ""shells"". Examples of animals with exoskeletons include insects such as grasshoppers and cockroaches, and crustaceans such as crabs and lobsters. The shells of certain sponges and the various groups of shelled molluscs, including those of snails, clams, tusk shells, chitons and nautilus, are also exoskeletons. Some animals, such as the tortoise, have both"
"Lavellan A Lavellan, làbh-allan, la-mhalan or la-bhallan etc. is a mythological/cryptozoological creature from northern Scotland. It was generally considered to be a kind of rodent, and the name """"làbh-allan"""" is also used for a water shrew or water vole in Scottish Gaelic. It was however, reportedly larger than a rat, very noxious, and lived in deep pools in rivers. Its poisonous abilities were legendary, and it was said to be able to injure cattle over a hundred feet away. Fleming, describing the Ermine, compared the prejudice against the animal to Sibbald's account of the country people's dislike of the Lavellan;"
"Pronghorn The pronghorn (, ) (""Antilocapra americana"") is a species of artiodactyl mammal indigenous to interior western and central North America. Though not an antelope, it is often known colloquially in North America as the American antelope, prong buck, pronghorn antelope, prairie antelope, or simply antelope because it closely resembles the true antelopes of the Old World and fills a similar ecological niche due to parallel evolution. It is the only surviving member of the family Antilocapridae. During the Pleistocene period, about 12 antilocaprid species existed in North America. Three other genera (""Capromeryx"", ""Stockoceros"" and ""Tetrameryx"") existed when humans entered"
"xenarthran glyptodonts. The animal was rather large, measuring in length, making it the second-largest known nonmarine turtle or tortoise, surpassed only by ""Megalochelys atlas"" from Asia, which lived in the Pleistocene. It lived in Australia, Lord Howe Island, New Caledonia and Vanuatu. The ""Meiolania"" specimens once living on New Caledonia and Lord Howe Island were much smaller than their giant relatives from the Australian continent. ""Meiolania"" fed on plants. Because the remains known by 1925 were found close to beaches, it was thought to be aquatic. It is now known to have been terrestrial. The genus was erected in 1886"
"currently, it is listed as ""Least Concern"" on IUCN Red List. Hispaniolan oriole The Hispaniolan oriole (""Icterus dominicensis"") is a species of bird in the family Icteridae. It is endemic to Hispaniola. The taxon was formerly lumped with the Cuban oriole (""Icterus melanopsis""), Bahama oriole (""Icterus northropi""), and Puerto Rican oriole (""Icterus portoricensis"") into a single species until all four were elevated to full species in 2010. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests, subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, subtropical or tropical mangrove forests, and plantations. In 1760 the French zoologist Mathurin Jacques Brisson included a description"
"a defining characteristic of which is the presence of xenarthrals (extra formations between lumbar vertebrae). In the past, Pilosa was regarded as a suborder of the order Xenarthra, while some more recent classifications regard Pilosa as an order within the superorder Xenarthra. Earlier still, both armadillos and pilosans were classified together with pangolins and the aardvark as the order Edentata (meaning toothless, because the members do not have front incisor teeth or molars, or have poorly developed molars). Edentata was subsequently realized to be polyphyletic; it contained unrelated families and was thus invalid. Order Pilosa Pilosa The order Pilosa is"
"Orthoceras Orthoceras (""straight horn"") is a genus of extinct nautiloid cephalopod restricted to Middle Ordovician-aged marine limestones of the Baltic States and Sweden. This genus is sometimes called ""Orthoceratites"". Note it is sometimes misspelled as ""Orthocera"", ""Orthocerus"" or ""Orthoceros"" . ""Orthoceras"" was formerly thought to have had a worldwide distribution due to the genus' use as a wastebasket taxon for numerous species of conical-shelled nautiloids throughout the Paleozoic and Triassic. Now, ""Orthoceras"" sensu stricto refers to ""O. regulare"", of Ordovician-aged Baltic Sea limestones of Sweden and neighboring areas. These are slender, elongate shells with the middle of the body chamber"
"Giant anteater The giant anteater (""Myrmecophaga tridactyla""), also known as the ant bear, is a large insectivorous mammal native to Central and South America. It is one of four living species of anteaters and is classified with sloths in the order Pilosa. This species is mostly terrestrial, in contrast to other living anteaters and sloths, which are arboreal or semiarboreal. The giant anteater is the largest of its family, in length, with weights of for males and for females. It is recognizable by its elongated snout, bushy tail, long fore claws, and distinctively colored pelage. The giant anteater can be"
"and katydids, and on the first abdominal segment in the grasshoppers and locusts. These organisms use vibrations to locate other individuals. Grasshoppers and other orthopterans are able to fold their wings, placing them in the group Neoptera. The name is derived from the Greek ὀρθός ""orthos"" meaning ""straight"" and πτερόν ""pteron"" meaning ""wing"". Orthopterans have a generally cylindrical body, with elongated hindlegs and musculature adapted for jumping. They have mandibulate mouthparts for biting and chewing and large compound eyes, and may or may not have ocelli, depending on the species. The antennae have multiple joints and filiform type, and are"
"were found to be present among a wide variety of mammals with it being particularly well represented in rodentia and primates. Orthologs were also found in each reptilian order but were much more scarce in presence relative to mammals. A high number and variety of ray-finned fishes were found to have orthologs while there were fewer cartilaginous fish found to have orthologs; no jawless fish could be found with orthologs. No orthologs are known to be present in birds or amphibians. No invertebrates, fungi, bacteria, or lower species have known orthologs. BLAT and BLAST were used to create following table"
"Bustard Bustards, including floricans and korhaans, are large, terrestrial birds living mainly in dry grassland areas and on the steppes of the Old World. They range in length from . They make up the family Otididae (formerly known as Otidae). Bustards are omnivorous and opportunistic, eating leaves, buds, seeds, fruit, small vertebrates, and invertebrates. Bustards are all fairly large with the two largest species, the kori bustard (""Ardeotis kori"") and the great bustard (""Otis tarda""), being frequently cited as the world's heaviest flying birds. In both the largest species, large males exceed a weight of , weigh around on average"
"Muskrat The muskrat (""Ondatra zibethicus""), the only species in genus Ondatra and tribe Ondatrini, is a medium-sized semiaquatic rodent native to North America and is an introduced species in parts of Europe, Asia, and South America. The muskrat is found in wetlands over a wide range of climates and habitats. It has important effects on the ecology of wetlands, and is a resource of food and fur for humans. The muskrat is the largest species in the subfamily Arvicolinae, which includes 142 other species of rodents, mostly voles and lemmings. Muskrats are referred to as ""rats"" in a general sense"
"shoot pronghorns. Pronghorn The pronghorn (, ) (""Antilocapra americana"") is a species of artiodactyl mammal indigenous to interior western and central North America. Though not an antelope, it is often known colloquially in North America as the American antelope, prong buck, pronghorn antelope, prairie antelope, or simply antelope because it closely resembles the true antelopes of the Old World and fills a similar ecological niche due to parallel evolution. It is the only surviving member of the family Antilocapridae. During the Pleistocene period, about 12 antilocaprid species existed in North America. Three other genera (""Capromeryx"", ""Stockoceros"" and ""Tetrameryx"") existed when"
"Kushtaka Kushtaka or Kooshdakhaa ( lit. ""land otter man"") are mythical shape-shifting creatures found in the folklore of the Tlingit and Tsimshian peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast of North America. They are similar to the Nat'ina of the Dena'ina Indians of South Central Alaska, and the Urayuli of the Yup'ik in Western Alaska. Physically, Kushtaka are shape-shifters capable of assuming human form, the form of an otter and potentially other forms. In some accounts, a Kushtaka is able to assume the form of any species of otter; in others, only one. Accounts of their behaviour seem to conflict with"
"Ortalis (fly) Ortalis is an historic genus of Ulidiid or picture-winged flies, first described by Fallén in 1810. It served as the type genus for the family Ulidiidae, which was called Ortalidae at the time. In 1932, it was pointed out by Adlrich that the name Ortalis was preoccupied by a genus of birds (in family Cracidae) which had been named by Merrem in 1786. The name of the fly family was therefore revised, with some authors calling it Otitidae until Ulidiidae was settled on as standard. The genus itself was found to be paraphyletic, and all of its species"
"Heron The herons are the long-legged freshwater and coastal birds in the family Ardeidae, with 64 recognised species, some of which are referred to as egrets or bitterns rather than herons. Members of the genera ""Botaurus"" and ""Ixobrychus"" are referred to as bitterns, and, together with the zigzag heron, or zigzag bittern, in the monotypic genus ""Zebrilus"", form a monophyletic group within the Ardeidae. Egrets are not a biologically distinct group from the herons, and tend to be named differently because they are mainly white or have decorative plumes in breeding plumage. Herons, by evolutionary adaptation, have long beaks. The"
"extinction of eutriconodonts. Didelphodon Didelphodon (from <nowiki>[</nowiki>""is""<nowiki>]</nowiki> ""opossum"" plus odōn ""tooth"") is a genus of stagodont metatherians from the Late Cretaceous of North America. Although perhaps little larger than a Virginia opossum, with a maximum skull length of and a weight of , ""Didelphodon"" was a large mammal by Mesozoic standards. The teeth have specialized bladelike cusps and carnassial notches, indicating that the animal was a predator; the jaws are short and massive and bear enormous, bulbous premolar teeth which appear to have been used for crushing. Analyses of a near-complete skull referred to ""Didelphodon"" show that it had an"